Fertility Levels, Patterns and Trends in Nepal

Population counting has a relatively long history in Nepal the first count was taken in 1911 and thereafter it was conducted roughly every ten years. However, the first four periodic censuses (1911, 1920, 1930, and 1941) did not meet the requirements of a scientific census. The 1952/54 census was the first scientific count in the modern sense of the term. Because of political instability the whole country could not be enumerated in one year in 1952 and therefore the remaining parts were enumerated in 1954. The subsequent censuses of 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 were, however, conducted timely and 22nd June was maintained as the census day throughout. Apparently census operation has successively improved over the years (Karki, 1992 and Karki 2002).